FIFA filed a response in US court calling UEFA’s requests for documents and testimony part of a prolonged public attack, arguing the disputed World Cup funding scheme was only a proposal that required member association approval.
FIFA says UEFA launched a "weeks-long smear campaign" after publicly opposing FIFA’s proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) investor plan.
FIFA maintains FFE was a conditional proposal needing majority member and FIFA Council approval, not an executed deal.
Public pressure has grown: former players and fans have demanded FIFA leadership changes amid the dispute.
After the plan was abandoned, UEFA moved to seek disclosure of documents and testimony in United States courts as part of possible Swiss criminal claims linked to the proposal. UEFA's submissions accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of "criminal mismanagement" and alleged that off-market prices were promoted for personal benefit.
FIFA has filed its own court submission in the United States asking judges to reject UEFA's application by the end of September. The filing describes UEFA's legal actions as legally deficient and asserts a "fundamental defect" in UEFA's case.
FIFA's papers characterise UEFA's filings as extensions of public messaging rather than neutral legal pleadings. The organisation says several documents look like press releases supporting what FIFA calls a "weeks-long smear campaign" against FIFA and its leadership.
FIFA argues FFE was only a proposal that could have moved forward if the majority of FIFA member associations and the FIFA Council approved it. That position is central to FIFA's contention that UEFA's requests for disclosure are misplaced, because no binding transaction took place.
Context of wider criticism and leadership pressure
The dispute comes amid growing calls for change inside FIFA. A collective of former players, including Robert Pires and Juan Sebastian Veron, issued a public statement calling for stakeholders to step forward and reshape football governance. They said recent decisions were made without adequate consultation of players and fans and called for change in leadership.
FIFA's court filing frames UEFA's legal moves as part of a broader public campaign rather than a strictly legal pursuit. UEFA's pursuit of documents follows a high-profile public confrontation over FFE. The US filings and any subsequent rulings will shape whether the dispute remains a public spat or produces enforceable disclosure that could feed further legal or regulatory action.
FIFA has accused European football’s governing body of launching a “smear campaign” against Gianni Infantino in a challenge to legal action over the aborted attempt to sell part of the World Cup to private investors.
FIFA has accused UEFA of a "smear campaign" and a "fishing expedition" after European football's governing body asked US judges to force it to hand over documents related to its failed World Cup investor plan. The post FIFA blasts UEFA ‘smear campaign,’ fights World Cup plan disclosures appeared first on Vanguard News
UEFA seeks US testimony, documents for possible lawsuit; FIFA asks US court to defer or let it oppose UEFA's request.
Fifa filed motion opposing Uefa’s request for discovery Uefa said to be considering criminal case v Gianni Infantino Attorneys representing Fifa have hit back at Uefa’s request for discovery in a US federal filing earlier this week. The lawyers called Uefa’s legal efforts “little more than press releases in further sup
Uefa has requested the disclosure of documents related to the failed World Cup sell-off plan from Fifa and partners, including Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital firm.
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